Perspective (2026 Edition)

PSmyth07 said:
Your points a valid and correct, it's just the tactics that don't make sense

  1. Why do we have players in the squad that cannot play his tactics?
  2. If these players are required to play due to injury, surely it makes more sense to set up to adapt to them instead of the other way around? I'm sure the more experienced players would have more joy adapting to a different system for a few games
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I think in fairness, barely having any senior defenders fit and the senior CDM returning from long term injury, is a little bit unforeseen. Stones and Ake could have been guarded against but Rodri's replacement getting injured too is harsh.

I think the form of United and Bodo/Glimt meant Pep had to see if it was possible to dominant higher up the pitch and win. We now know with current personnel that's not possible.

Wolves and Galatasaray might be the same tactics because we're at home, although I'd expect little tweaks but imagine Spurs (A) and Liverpool (A) will be very different.
 
MCFC1993 said:
The tactics are fair criticism but taking a step back, available defenders:

Lewis
Khusanov
Alleyne
Ake - Injury problems
O'Reilly
Ait-Nouri - AFCON returnee

The 4 consistently available have a combined age of about 20 and little experience in each position, that's a tough roll of the dice whatever tactics we use.

I agree that it needs to be less gung ho though and a little more risk averse. Just acknowledging that it's hard to switch it up that fast when the other way was working to some extent prior to injuries.
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Don't disagree that the available defenders at the moment are pretty young or whatever it is Ake is these days.

Question is why you'd therefore push the fullbacks into midfield to expose the defensive issues even more and have such a high line that it's clear within a few minutes of the start of the game what the opposition is going to do every time they get the ball.

Every team has injuries and adapt - when Mendy got his first injury, we didn't have a left back and I'm not sure we've bought one since, but we found a way to play to the strengths we had with various midfielders or right footed players in there.

This version of Pep just seems to stick his fingers in his ears and insist the game he wants to happen will regardless of what's happening in front of him.

He changed the way football was played and made other managers look like dinosaurs. He's starting to look like a Neanderthal in a world of Homo Sapiens.
 
There’s one big big fight to win above all others this season and it’s not on the field. Win that and it will lift any lingering doom & gloom and propel us to the title next season.

I expect us to finish this season strongly as well. We just need to hang in there, get Dias back, Rodri fully match fit, and rotate well with returning AFCON players like Marmoush.

The rebuild is now fully beginning to take shape and we’re only 2-3 players off having a great squad ready to challenge on all fronts again.
 
richards30 said:
Point 2 is exactly it! The high line is truly astonishing that he`s still playing it while watching us getting rinsed and giving up goals and chances galore!
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I don't see the point in playing a high line against a low block. Shrinks the pitch for us to make our play slower and more predictable, and then there's an easy outball for the opposition.

Semenyo, Haaland and Doku would be great counter attack players also.
 
Blue Since 76 said:
Don't disagree that the available defenders at the moment are pretty young or whatever it is Ake is these days.

Question is why you'd therefore push the fullbacks into midfield to expose the defensive issues even more and have such a high line that it's clear within a few minutes of the start of the game what the opposition is going to do every time they get the ball.

Every team has injuries and adapt - when Mendy got his first injury, we didn't have a left back and I'm not sure we've bought one since, but we found a way to play to the strengths we had with various midfielders or right footed players in there.

This version of Pep just seems to stick his fingers in his ears and insist the game he wants to happen will regardless of what's happening in front of him.

He changed the way football was played and made other managers look like dinosaurs. He's starting to look like a Neanderthal in a world of Homo Sapiens.
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Honestly, it worked against Newcastle, so I think he's just gambled that we could get away with it against United and Bodo/Glimt.

I expect they will start to adapt now until Dias and Guehi are together. Wolves and Galatasaray might be slightly different given we're at home and still expected to dominate and control, I'd imagine Spurs (A) and Liverpool (A) we'll protect ourselves a lot more though.

The Mendy issue was slightly different, it was early in the season, he hadn't really fully integrated yet and he was the only long term injury.
 
They say a week is a long time in politics well it is also true of football and we have just had a week from hell on the field

Last Wednesday we were reflecting on a good performance and a excellent result at SJP 2:0 win following the 10:1 thrashing of Exeter
Our new signing had score 1 (2) in each game
We were processing with another signing
Unbeaten in 13
Top scorers in PL
Recalled an CFA young player from Watford and he looked to the manor born score his debut goal
Pep was re-energised and his new back room team were great
Started scoring from corners
Hugo Viala was a great replacement for Txiki and took no shit
The Rags were still in a big mess and had just appointed their latest DNA interim manager
On the down side we had injuries to key players but were coping

On week later
Sack Pep
What the fuck is Viana doing no RB signed Stones and Ake are crap and should have got rid of
No win in 2
Signed England's regular CB for a bargain £20m less than Amorim cost the rags

Beat Wolves and Gala and all will be well with the world

Loose both yikes
 
MCFC1993 said:
I guess a thread for people to say, we've been shit but...

Easy to get carried away with the crock of shit the last 2 games have been and I am definitely guilty of it.

Absentees
The absentees are killing us though.

That Dias-Gvardiol double injury was a big blow.
If that's Saliba-Gabriel, Arsenal are struggling, infact the pair of them have missed 3 league games together this season, dropped points in 2 of them.

The last 2 games I don't think we've even fielded 6 of our strongest XI in either game, if we say the current best XI is something like this:
--------Donnarumma
Nunes--Dias--Guehi--O'Reilly
-------Rodri----Nico G
Semenyo--Cherki-----Doku
-----------Haaland

5 started against United, 5 started against Bodo/Glimt, that does matter. Arsenal have been managing to get 8-10 of their best XI out there in recent weeks.

Tactics
The tactics haven't been great in the last 2 but they weren't designed for the current injury problems we have. The current side can't play that way.

We need to adapt and hopefully ride out the rough part of the season without too much damage.

Reality is it probably won't work properly again until we can field Dias & Guehi at centre back. So we're talking end of February.

It's been shit but...
I think if we're being entirely fair we have to judge it when these are back:
Nunes
Dias
Guehi (eligibility)
Stones (unlikely!)
Gonzalez
Semenyo (eligibility)
Ait-Nouri (up to speed from AFCON)
Marmoush (up to speed from AFCON)
Rodri (up to speed from long term injury)

Again we're probably talking mid-late February.


Summary - Not trying to be a happy clapper, we've been shit but it's 2 games and there are extenuating circumstances.
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If it was just 2 games, and reliance on Stones returning to full fitness wasn't part of the problem rather than the solution, then I'd agree 100%

However, as well as perspective, we also need a sense of direction, because otherwise (and even with more players available) this is starting to feel like Pellegrini's last season, with City slowly drifting out of the title race and our only chance of silverware being the domestic cups.

As for last night we're not going to win the CL so in the overall scheme of things we can just look towards the next game.
However it was also the first time in a long while when I detected some disharmony within the squad.
 
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I keep swinging wildly from sell them all and get rid of Pep to what the OP has put.

The injuries & players unavailable are huge, I could be wrong but I'm fairly certain in the seasons we've been successful under Pep we've always done quite well on the injury front, the treble winning season we had everyone available in the run in I believe.

There's an argument Pep should try to adjust tactics when we obviously don't have the players available to play how he wants but I just don't think he'll do that.
 
I dont even know if its a Pep problem, but my issue this last couple of games is the seeming lack of fight. That rag game was pitiful and while I 100% get that we are crippled by injuries, as long as we are able to put 11 players on the park, they need to give their all for that shirt. Currently, (bar one or two) that is not happenening. You can only look at the manager as the motivating factor, thats why all the negativity I reckon. Bottom line, the players need to take a long hard look at themselves.

Last night was an opportunity to bounce back, more passive shite. Same at the weekend against Wolves, a very winnable game. Come on lads, pull your tripe out.
 
MCFC1993 said:
I guess a thread for people to say, we've been shit but...

Easy to get carried away with the crock of shit the last 2 games have been and I am definitely guilty of it.

Absentees
The absentees are killing us though.

That Dias-Gvardiol double injury was a big blow.
If that's Saliba-Gabriel, Arsenal are struggling, infact the pair of them have missed 3 league games together this season, dropped points in 2 of them.

The last 2 games I don't think we've even fielded 6 of our strongest XI in either game, if we say the current best XI is something like this:
--------Donnarumma
Nunes--Dias--Guehi--O'Reilly
-------Rodri----Nico G
Semenyo--Cherki-----Doku
-----------Haaland

5 started against United, 5 started against Bodo/Glimt, that does matter. Arsenal have been managing to get 8-10 of their best XI out there in recent weeks.

Tactics
The tactics haven't been great in the last 2 but they weren't designed for the current injury problems we have. The current side can't play that way.

We need to adapt and hopefully ride out the rough part of the season without too much damage.

Reality is it probably won't work properly again until we can field Dias & Guehi at centre back. So we're talking end of February.

It's been shit but...
I think if we're being entirely fair we have to judge it when these are back:
Nunes
Dias
Guehi (eligibility)
Stones (unlikely!)
Gonzalez
Semenyo (eligibility)
Ait-Nouri (up to speed from AFCON)
Marmoush (up to speed from AFCON)
Rodri (up to speed from long term injury)

Again we're probably talking mid-late February.


Summary - Not trying to be a happy clapper, we've been shit but it's 2 games and there are extenuating circumstances.
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good overview that and spot on!

Do think we need to jump in the market for a midfielder even if its just for a few months to help out the gap with injuries to Rodri/Nico G
 
Man_City_Loyal said:
good overview that and spot on!

Do think we need to jump in the market for a midfielder even if its just for a few months to help out the gap with injuries to Rodri/Nico G
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The midfield is the area which needs reinforcement as a matter of urgency.

Should have been the first priority for me.
 
MCFC1993 said:
Honestly, it worked against Newcastle, so I think he's just gambled that we could get away with it against United and Bodo/Glimt.

I expect they will start to adapt now until Dias and Guehi are together. Wolves and Galatasaray might be slightly different given we're at home and still expected to dominate and control, I'd imagine Spurs (A) and Liverpool (A) we'll protect ourselves a lot more though.

The Mendy issue was slightly different, it was early in the season, he hadn't really fully integrated yet and he was the only long term injury.
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Did it work against Newcastle or were they just rubbish/we were lucky? There was a golden chance for Wissa early on that I don't know how he missed and the lanky German should have scored when he came on. If they'd scored either of those, who knows, but it's not just the last 2 games where we've been giving up excellent opportunities to the opposition.

It was there last season and it's there now - sit deep, be organised, fight hard and when you get the ball, get it upfield quickly and we have no idea how to stop it. Maybe with prime Rodri, KdB, Stones, Walker, Dias etc we get away with it, but with the current side, with or without the current injuries, we don't. We're buying players for how football has evolved, but still trying to use the old tactics.

Watching the last two games, I'm convinced Pep is going in summer and the players already know it. If I'm wrong, then I've no idea what Viana is doing with the players he's buying
 
TFC said:
I dont even know if its a Pep problem, but my issue this last couple of games is the seeming lack of fight. That rag game was pitiful and while I 100% get that we are crippled by injuries, as long as we are able to put 11 players on the park, they need to give their all for that shirt. Currently, (bar one or two) that is not happenening. You can only look at the manager as the motivating factor, thats why all the negativity I reckon. Bottom line, the players need to take a long hard look at themselves.

Last night was an opportunity to bounce back, more passive shite. Same at the weekend against Wolves, a very winnable game. Come on lads, pull your tripe out.
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somethings gone on since before xmas, as we've been truly not at the races since!
 
Spurs quarter 69 said:
It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we beat Eolves and Arsenal lose to the rags, if that were to happen the world would look a very different place on Monday morning.
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There are plenty of games left. Some are acting like the season is about to end.

3 cups
League title race

As you say, it can all change with just two results, and at some point it is going to and likely again and again.
 
The defense was settling with Nunes, Dias, Gvardiol and O’Reilly. Last night we
had only one of those and it rapidly turned into a shit show. There is a knock on into midfield where the players don’t gamble cause they know getting turned over will probably lead to a chance at the wrong end. We could turn it round if Geuhi makes a strong start and if we get Nunes and Gonzalez back.
 
Those calling for Pep to walk should be careful what they wish for.

Once the new players settle in and the treatment room quietens off then we will be just fine.

It's a dreadful couple of weeks but it feels like a sticky patch that we just need to get through...
 
Blue Since 76 said:
Don't disagree that the available defenders at the moment are pretty young or whatever it is Ake is these days.

Question is why you'd therefore push the fullbacks into midfield to expose the defensive issues even more and have such a high line that it's clear within a few minutes of the start of the game what the opposition is going to do every time they get the ball.

Every team has injuries and adapt - when Mendy got his first injury, we didn't have a left back and I'm not sure we've bought one since, but we found a way to play to the strengths we had with various midfielders or right footed players in there.

This version of Pep just seems to stick his fingers in his ears and insist the game he wants to happen will regardless of what's happening in front of him.

He changed the way football was played and made other managers look like dinosaurs. He's starting to look like a Neanderthal in a world of Homo Sapiens.
Click to expand...
He has said previously that he won't change, very stubborn man.
 
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